Dataset Information

Routine transthoracic echocardiography in ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause: a prospective multicentre study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Guidelines recommend routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause; yet, only limited scientific evidence exists. Therefore, we aimed to determine in these patients the prevalence of TTE-detected major cardiac sources of embolism (CSE), which are abnormalities leading to therapeutic changes.

Methods

Six Dutch hospitals conducted a prospective observational study that enrolled patients with ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause. Patients underwent TTE after comprehensive diagnostic evaluation on stroke units, including blood chemistry, 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG), ≥ 24 h continuous ECG monitoring, brain imaging and cervical artery imaging. Primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients with TTE-detected major CSE.

Results

From March 2018 to October 2020, 1084 patients, aged 66.6 ± 12.5 years, were enrolled; 456 (42.1%) patients were female and 869 (80.2%) had ischaemic stroke. TTE detected major CSE in only 11 (1.0%) patients. Ten (90.9%) of these patients also had major ECG abnormalities (previous infarction, major repolarisation abnormalities, or previously unknown left bundle branch block) that would have warranted TTE assessment regardless of stroke evaluation. Such ECG abnormalities were present in 11.1% of the total study population. A single patient (0.1%) showed a major CSE despite having no ECG abnormality.

Conclusions

This multicentre cross-sectional study in patients who-after workup on contemporary stroke units-were diagnosed with ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause found TTE-detected major CSE in only 1% of all patients. Most of these patients also had major ECG abnormalities. These findings question the value of routine TTE assessment in this clinical setting.

SUBMITTER: van der Maten G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10834921 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Routine transthoracic echocardiography in ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause: a prospective multicentre study.

van der Maten Gerlinde G Meijs Matthijs F L MFL Timmer Jorik R JR Brouwers Paul J A M PJAM von Birgelen Clemens C Coutinho Jonathan M JM Bouma Berto J BJ Kerkhoff Henk H Helming Anne Mijn AM van Tuijl Julia H JH van der Meer Nicolet A NA Saxena Ritu R Ebink Corné C van der Palen Job J den Hertog Heleen M HM

Netherlands heart journal : monthly journal of the Netherlands Society of Cardiology and the Netherlands Heart Foundation 20231023 2

<h4>Background</h4>Guidelines recommend routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause; yet, only limited scientific evidence exists. Therefore, we aimed to determine in these patients the prevalence of TTE-detected major cardiac sources of embolism (CSE), which are abnormalities leading to therapeutic changes.<h4>Methods</h4>Six Dutch hospitals conducted a prospective observational study that enrolled patients with ischaem ...[more]

PMID: 37870709

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundAn increasing body of evidence suggests that inflammation plays a key role in stroke, in particular stroke of atherosclerotic origin. Anti-inflammatory medications are a widely heterogeneous group of drugs that are used to suppress the innate inflammatory pathway and thus prevent persistent or recurrent inflammation. Anti-inflammatory agents have the potential to stabilise atherosclerotic plaques by impeding the inflammatory pathway. By targeting specific cytokines, the inflammatory pathway may be interrupted at various stages.ObjectivesTo assess the benefits and harms of anti-inflammatory medications plus standard care versus standard care with or without placebo for prevention of vascular events (stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), non-fatal cardiac arrest, unstable angina requiring revascularisation, vascular death) and all-cause mortality in people with a prior history of ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).Search methodsWe searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; last searched 29 May 2019); MEDLINE (1948 to 29 May 2019); Embase (1980 to 29 May 2019); the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; 1982 to 29 May 2019); and Scopus (1995 to 29 May 2019). In an effort to identify additional published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched several grey literature sources (last searched 30 May 2019). We incorporated all identified studies into the results section. We applied no restrictions with respect to language, date of publication, or study setting.Selection criteriaWe considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and cluster-randomised controlled trials that evaluated anti-inflammatory medications for prevention of major cardiovascular events following ischaemic stroke or TIA.Data collection and analysisTwo review authors independently assessed for inclusion titles and abstracts of studies identified by the search. Two review authors independently reviewed full-text articles for inclusion in this review. We planned to assess risk of bias and to apply the GRADE method.Main resultsWe identified no studies that met the inclusion criteria.Authors' conclusionsThere is currently a paucity of evidence on the use of anti-inflammatory medications for prevention of major cardiovascular events following ischaemic stroke or TIA. RCTs are needed to assess whether use of anti-inflammatory medications in this setting is beneficial.

Project description:The aim of the present European Stroke Organisation Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) management guideline document is to provide clinically useful evidence-based recommendations on approaches to triage, investigation and secondary prevention, particularly in the acute phase following TIA. The guidelines were prepared following the Standard Operational Procedure for a European Stroke Organisation guideline document and according to GRADE methodology. As a basic principle, we defined TIA clinically and pragmatically for generalisability as transient neurological symptoms, likely to be due to focal cerebral or ocular ischaemia, which last less than 24 hours. High risk TIA was defined based on clinical features in patients seen early after their event or having other features suggesting a high early risk of stroke (e.g. ABCD2 score of 4 or greater, or weakness or speech disturbance for greater than five minutes, or recurrent events, or significant ipsilateral large artery disease e.g. carotid stenosis, intracranial stenosis). Overall, we strongly recommend using dual antiplatelet treatment with clopidogrel and aspirin short term, in high-risk non-cardioembolic TIA patients, with an ABCD2 score of 4 or greater, as defined in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We further recommend specialist review within 24 hours after the onset of TIA symptoms. We suggest review in a specialist TIA clinic rather than conventional outpatients, if managed in an outpatient setting. We make a recommendation to use either MRA or CTA in TIA patients for additional confirmation of large artery stenosis of 50% or greater, in order to guide further management, such as clarifying degree of carotid stenosis detected with carotid duplex ultrasound. We make a recommendation against using prediction tools (eg ABCD2 score) alone to identify high risk patients or to make triage and treatment decisions in suspected TIA patients as due to limited sensitivity of the scores, those with score value of 3 or less may include significant numbers of individual patients at risk of recurrent stroke, who require early assessment and treatment. These recommendations aim to emphasise the importance of prompt acute assessment and relevant secondary prevention. There are no data from randomised controlled trials on prediction tool use and optimal imaging strategies in suspected TIA.

Project description:ObjectivesThe aims of the study were to assess the management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and the goal achievement, as well as to investigate the association between baseline LDL-C level, lipid-lowering treatment (LLT), and stroke recurrence in patients with ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).DesignOur study was a post hoc analysis of the Third China National Stroke Registry (CNSR-III).SettingWe derived data from the CNSR-III - a nationwide clinical registry of ischaemic stroke and TIA based on 201 participating hospitals in mainland China.Participants15,166 patients were included in this study with demographic characteristics, etiology, imaging, and biological markers from August 2015 to March 2018.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was a new stroke, LDL-C goal (LDL-C<1.8mmol/L and LDL-C<1.4mmol/L, respectively) achievement rates, and LLT compliance within 3, 6, and 12 months. The secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and all caused death at 3 and 12 months.ResultsAmong the 15,166 patients, over 90% of patients received LLT during hospitalization and 2 weeks after discharge; the LLT compliance was 84.5% at 3 months, 75.6% at 6 months, and 64.8% at 12 months. At 12 months, LDL-C goal achievement rate for 1.8mmol/L and 1.4mmol/L was 35.4% and 17.6%, respectively. LLT at discharge was associated with reduced risk of ischemic stroke recurrence (HR=0.69, 95% CI: 0.48-0.99, p=0.04) at 3 months. The rate of LDL-C reduction from baseline to 3-month follow-up was not associated with a reduced risk of stroke recurrence or major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 12 months. Patients with baseline LDL-C ≤1.4mmol/L had a numerically lower risk of stroke, ischemic stroke and MACE at both 3 months and 12 months.ConclusionsThe LDL-C goal achievement rate has increased mildly in the stroke and TIA population in mainland China. Lowered baseline LDL-C level was significantly associated with a decreased short- and long-term risk of ischemic stroke among stroke and TIA patients. LDL-C<1.4mmol/L might be a safe standard for this population.

Dataset Information

Routine transthoracic echocardiography in ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause: a prospective multicentre study.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Routine transthoracic echocardiography in ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack of undetermined cause: a prospective multicentre study.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets